14 Programs That Pay You Money to Install Water Efficient Landscaping

You may have heard that you can save big bucks on water and maintenance by renovating your landscaping to be more water-efficient.

But, did you know that Cities across the country will pay you cash to do it?

As water supplies dwindle and populations rise, many municipalities are offering great incentives for reducing water use in the landscape. When property owners, businesses, or managers factor in the payback from these rebates along with the water and maintenance savings, a landscape renovation can make a lot of sense.

The 2 Main Types of Rebates

Generally speaking, incentives for reducing water use fall into two categories. The first category is paying customers to remove landscapes that have high water use and replace them with attractive low water use plantings, and the second category is to provide rebates for purchasing and installing irrigation components that reduce water use and that are more efficient than older systems.

As we have discussed in the past, the real water savings (as well as the largest rebates) come from replacing high water use lawns and landscaping, with new plantings that require less water and are more adapted to the local climate. There are many benefits to this approach- see The Top 10 Benefits of Making Landscaping More Water Efficient.

Additional Program Notes: Rebates of up to $150.00 are also offered for rainwater collection systems, and with the installation of a rainwater collection system the incentives double to $1.50 per square foot. Residents may also receive a $20.00 credit for attending a water efficiency class.

Incentives for Removing Turf: $18.50 per 1,000 gallons of water saved for multi-family or commercial properties.

Equipment Rebates: Single family residential customers can receive $2.00 per efficient nozzle and $100.00 for weather-based smart controllers with rain sensors. Multi-family or commercial properties can receive $2.00 per efficient nozzle, and 25% of the cost of a smart controller.

Equipment Rebates: Single family residential customers can receive up to $1,000 for installing smart controllers and rain sensors. Multi-family or commercial properties can receive up to $5,000 for installing smart controllers and rain sensors.

Additional Program Notes:Rebates are also available for rotary nozzles, mpr spray heads, pressure reducing drip valves, and backflow prevention devices specifically made for drip systems.

Equipment Rebates: Single family residential customers can receive up to $550.00 for installing smart controllers, rain sensors, and rotary nozzles. Multi-family or commercial properties can receive up to $3,550.00 for installing smart controllers, rain sensors, and rotary nozzles.

Additional Program Notes:Rotary nozzle rebates are available for up to $200.00 for single family residential, and up to $2,000 for multi-family or commercial properties. Rebates are available for 50% of the purchase price of smart controllers and rain sensors.

Incentives for Removing Turf: Up to $3,000 for single family homes and multi-family or commercial properties.

Equipment Rebates: Single family residential customers can receive up to $250.00 for installing smart controllers. Multi-family or commercial properties can receive up to $1,250.00 for installing smart controllers.

Additional Program Notes: A minimum area of 1,000 square feet of turf must be removed to qualify for turf removal incentives.

Incentives for Removing Turf: $1.50 per square foot up to $3,000 for single family homes, and $1.50 per square foot up to $9,000 for multi-family or commercial properties.

Equipment Rebates: Single family residential customers can receive up to $400.00 for installing smart controllers. Multi-family or commercial properties can receive $25.00 per station up to 68 stations ($1,700) for installing a smart controller.

Additional Program Notes: Rebates of $0.50 for every gallon of storage capacity up to 400 gallons are offered for rainwater collection systems.

Incentives for Removing Turf: $0.75 per square foot up to $2,000 is available for for single family homes, and $0.75 per square foot up to $20,000 is available for multi-family or commercial properties.

These incentive and rebate programs are typically limited to a maximum allowable rebate amount based on the area of the project, and the purchase price of the irrigation components. Many of the programs also are only available on a first come first serve basis. With limited funding many municipalities exhaust their funds in the first few months of the year. Other program requirements include selecting plants from specific drought tolerant or native plant lists, percentage of plant area coverage, and the make and model of irrigation components.

Because of the complexity of the projects and the paperwork involved, it may make sense to have a landscape architect assist you for a moderate fee. These professional consultants can prepare any plans that are needed, submit applications, gain approval from local building departments and HOA’s, and maximize the potential rebate amount you will get back.

In addition, most states require a licensed landscape architect to prepare plans for any major renovation on a commercial or larger residential property. The fees for these services are often offset by the savings that come from having a good plan that can be accurately bid and installed by contractors.

So, if you are looking to make your property more sustainable, update it’s image, and save on maintenance and water, look into what programs may be available in your area.

This is the official blog of Outdoor Design Group, Colorado Landscape Architects. For more information about our business and our services, click here.